Harrison County, West Virginia
Harrison County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 69,099. The county seat is Clarksburg. The county was founded in 1784. Harrison County is part of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area. History White trappers visited the area that is now Harrison County as early as the 1760s when it was still part of the vast Augusta County, Virginia. The settler Daniel Davisson claimed the land upon which present-day Clarksburg, Harrison County was formed in 1773, when the area was still part of the vast Monongalia County, Virginia. Harrison County was created in 1784, formed from Monongalia County and named for Benjamin Harrison V, who had recently retired as the Governor of Virginia. (He was the father of William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States and great-grandfather of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president.) From the vast territory that was called “Harrison County” in 1784 were carved, over the next 72 years, all of eight present day West Virginia counties and parts of ten others.NB: Some of these counties left “Harrison County” by way of intermediate county names. Former "Harrison County" now includes: (1) all of present day Barbour (1843; via Randolph and Lewis also), Gilmer (1845), Harrison, Lewis (1816), Randolph (1787), Ritchie (1843; parts via Lewis and Wood also), Upshur (1851; via Lewis), and Wood (1798) Counties; and (2) parts of Braxton (1836; via Lewis), Calhoun (1856; via Gilmer), Doddridge (1845; via Lewis and Ritchie also), Marion (1842), Pleasants (1851; via Wood), Pocahontas (1821; via Randolph), Tucker (1856; via Randolph), Taylor (1844; via Marion and Barbour also), Webster (1860; via Braxton and Randolph), and Wirt (1848; via Wood) Counties. ("History of County Formations in Virginia, 1617-1995") The first meeting of the Harrison County court was held on July 20, 1784 at home of George Jackson. One of the first orders of business was to select a permanent county seat. It was decided to move the county seat to Clarksburg. The town, named in honor of the explorer General George Rogers Clark (1752–1818), was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in October 1785, and it was incorporated in 1795. Clarksburg's first newspaper, The By-Stander, began publication in 1810. Clarksburg began to grow following the construction of the Northwestern Turnpike connecting Winchester and Parkersburg. It reached Clarksburg in 1836. Clarksburg's economic development was also helped by the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1856. The railroad was instrumental in the development of the local coal mining industry during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. The county is drained by the West Fork River and its tributaries, including Tenmile Creek, Simpson Creek, Elk Creek, and Hackers Creek.DeLorme (1997). West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. pp. 24-25, 35-36. ISBN 0-89933-246-3. Major highways * Interstate 79 * U.S. Route 19 * U.S. Route 50 * West Virginia Route 20 * West Virginia Route 23 * West Virginia Route 57 * West Virginia Route 58 * West Virginia Route 76 * West Virginia Route 98 * West Virginia Route 131 * West Virginia Route 270 Adjacent counties *Marion County (north) *Taylor County (east) *Barbour County (east) *Upshur County (southeast) *Lewis County (south) *Doddridge County (west) *Wetzel County (northwest) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2015 }} . Center, the Scottish Festival & Celtic Gathering in Bridgeport, WV. Right, the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival in Clarksburg.]] 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 27,867 households, and 19,088 families residing in the county. The population density was 165 people per square mile (64/km²). There were 31,112 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.55% White, 1.61% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 27,867 households out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,562, and the median income for a family was $36,870. Males had a median income of $30,721 versus $22,110 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,810. About 13.60% of families and 17.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.10% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 69,099 people, 28,533 households, and 18,992 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 31,431 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.0% white, 1.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 19.8% were German, 19.0% were American, 18.3% were Irish, 13.2% were English, and 10.4% were Italian. Of the 28,533 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.4% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 41.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,191 and the median income for a family was $46,882. Males had a median income of $42,615 versus $28,867 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,010. About 15.0% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over. Politics Communities Cities *Bridgeport *Clarksburg (county seat) *Salem *Shinnston *Stonewood Towns *Anmoore *Lost Creek *Lumberport *Nutter Fort *West Milford Census-designated places * Despard * Enterprise * Gypsy * Hepzibah * Spelter * Wolf Summit Unincorporated communities *Arlington *Glen Falls *Gypsy *Jimtown *Mount Clare Charles Pointe Master-Planned Community Harrison County is the site of a master-planned community, Charles Pointe, which is currently under construction in the city of Bridgeport, WV and comprises that will combine commercial, residential, and recreational areas into one master-planned community. Adjacent to Charles Pointe, the new United Hospital Center, a $278 million state-of-the-art medical facility, is also currently being constructed.uhcwv.org: New UHC Directly across from the United Hospital Center site, White Oaks, a planned business community is also under way, and will support the new hospital and the FBI CJIS complex, which is also located nearby to the White Oaks site. This area of West Virginia's Interstate 79 is considered part of a "High Tech Corridor."Wikipedia.org: I-79 Historical landmarks *Simpson Creek Covered Bridge *Fletcher Covered Bridge *Oak Mounds *Kelly Miller High School *The Waldomore See also *Center Branch Wildlife Management Area *North Bend Rail Trail *Watters Smith Memorial State Park *National Register of Historic Places listings in Harrison County, West Virginia References External links *Harrison County Chamber of Commerce *Harrison County Commission *Harrison County Development Authority *Harrison County Genealogical Society *Harrison County Schools *WVGenWeb Harrison County Category:Harrison County, West Virginia Category:1784 establishments in Virginia Category:Northwestern Turnpike Category:Clarksburg micropolitan area Category:Settlements established in 1784 Category:Counties of Appalachia